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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Whenever a band gets back together to record their first album in 16 years, fans are unfortunately met with that odd sensation of both instant excitement and palpable trepidation. Will it be good? Will it suck? Will I be forced to burn that t-shirt I've been wearing since 1994? Then…the wait begins. It’s happened multiple times for me over the past few years, with varying degrees of end-results. There is the immediate disappointment that stemmed from all of The Pixies recent releases, but also the shining surprises like My Bloody Valentine’s latest. It's a tossup. 50/50.

Our first listen to The Afghan Whigs’ new record, Do The Beast, sounds pretty much exactly the way we wanted it to. Brooding, sexy and melodic – it’s unmistakably them. But it also pushes the Whig-envelope a bit with my personal life-hero, Greg Dulli, laying heavy on his vocal chords by singing a few octaves higher than we’re accustomed to him crooning. Badass.